Broadcast Coverage Maps

FM Stations - Detail         FM Stations - Printable

FM Stations
WCQS		88.1	Asheville		WFSS		91.9	Fayetteville
WFQS		91.3	Franklin		WNAA		90.1	Greensboro
WPVM	N	103.5	Asheville		WTEB		89.3	New Bern
WUNC		91.5	Chapel Hill		WBJD	N	91.5	Atlantic Beach
WBUX	N	90.5	Buxton		WKNS	N	90.5	Kinston
WUND	N	88.9	Manteo		WZNB	N	88.5	New Bern
WURI	N	91.5	Manteo		WKNC	#	88.1	Raleigh
WRQM		90.9	Rocky Mount		WSHA	#	88.9	Raleigh
WFAE		90.7	Charlotte		WZRU	N	88.5	Roanoke Rapids
WFHE	N	90.3	Hickory		WNCW		88.7	Spindale
WDAV		89.9	Davidson		WCPE	#	89.7	Wake Forest
WNCU	N	90.7	Durham		WHQR		91.3	Wilmington
WRVS	N	89.9	Elizabeth City		WFDD		88.5	Winston-Salem

AM Stations

None

General Comments

North Carolina public radio services are provided by a combination of educational and community licensees.  Three stations provide regional service: WCQS in western North Carolina, WUNC in central North Carolina and the Outer Banks, and WTEB, which also provides service to areas of central North Carolina and the Outer Banks to the south of the WUNC service.  Residents in most of the state's major population centers receive multiple program services. 

FM Service

The 1989 PTFP study identified twelve stations and three translators broadcasting public radio programming to the residents of the state.  North Carolina public broadcasters have made a significant investment in providing public radio coverage across the state.  This study includes 26 radio stations and 13 translators located in North Carolina.

The 1989 study identified three principal areas that did not receive a quality public radio signal. In two of the areas, public broadcasters made significant progress toward providing complete coverage of those areas.  The first area was the northeast corner of the state along its coastal plain and inland for 120 miles.  Four stations -- WRVS, WUND, WURI and WZRU -- now cover the entire area.  This area also receives public radio programming from WHRO in Norfolk, Virginia. 

The second unserved area identified in 1989 was to the west of WTEB.  WTEB built WKNS to fill an unserved area that existed between its coverage and that of broadcasters WRQM and WFSS.  Although WCPE Wake Forest, WKNC Raleigh and WSHA Raleigh were in operation in 1989, they did not meet criteria for inclusion in the 1989 study.  They now meet the study criteria and are indicated on the station list with the # symbol.  Also in this region, WRQM in Rocky Mount, now operated by WUNC, appeared in the 1989 study as WVSP Warrenton.  The only significant unserved portion of eastern North Carolina is in Duplin County.

Ten translators have been installed since the completion of the 1989 study. The installations are in small coastal communities, rural Piedmont towns and remote communities in the Appalachian Mountains.  WPVM Asheville is a new low-power FM station providing a locally originated service to Asheville.

WZRN Norlina in Warren County on the North Carolina-Virginia border was awarded a construction permit in 2003 and will bring the first public radio service to 5,500 residents of both states. WCOM Carrboro, a LPFM in Orange County, was awarded a construction permit in 2004.  These stations are not yet operational and do not appear on the map.

The percentage of North Carolina's population who can receive a public radio signal increased from 85% in 1989 to 95.1% currently.  The number of unserved residents decreased from 863,000 1989 to 394,695.

AM Service

None

Service from Adjacent States

Public radio signals reach North Carolina residents living along the borders with all the surrounding states -- Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina.  One translator in North Carolina is operated by WETS Johnson City, Tennessee.

Unserved Areas

Regions A & B

There are significant areas without public radio coverage in areas along the Tennessee border, particularly Region A in the southwest portions of the state and Region B in the northwest portions of the state.  These regions are covered by the Appalachian Mountain Range including the Bald Mountains, the Balsam Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains all located in these regions.  There are also several state parks and national forests including Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.  The terrain is rugged and with low population density.

More than 65,000 people in Region A do not receive public radio.  They are residents of Cherokee (21,511), Clay (4,511), Macon (6,819), Graham (5,062), Jackson (11,237), Swain (11,419) and Haywood (5,308) counties.

About 89,000 residents of Ashe (16,190), Alleghany (7,779), Wilkes (36,821) and Surrey (28,961) counties in Region B have no public radio services available to them.

Region C

Over 137,000 residents of the south-central region of the state along the South Carolina border do not receive a public radio signal.  This is an area that includes the counties of Anson (8,091), Richmond (42,488), Scotland (35,524), Robeson (47,370) and Montgomery (4,107).  Channel 6 interference concerns were raised in the previous PTFP study regarding lack of service in the area.

Region D

This area is located between the contours of WTEB, WFSS and WHQR.  There are 13,138 residents of Duplin County and 3,245 residents of Sampson County who do not receive public radio.

Translators listed by operating station
Facilities in italics operated by out‑of‑state broadcasters

WCQS Asheville, NC					WTEB New Bern, NC
W218AD		91.5	Brevard		W201AO	N	88.1	Greenville
W209AD	N	89.7	Clyde		WNCW Spindale, NC
W209AE		89.7	Cullowhee		W225AA	N	92.9	Boone
W237AR	N	95.3	Hazelwood		W264AF	N	100.7	Charlotte
W269AY	N	101.7	Highlands		WHQR Wilmington, NC
W218AB		91.5	Sylva		W231AB	N	94.1	Lumberton
WUNC Chapel Hill, NC					WETS Johnson City, TN
W216BE	N	91.1	Buxton		W218BW	N	91.5	Lenoir
W215AU	N	90.9	Manteo